Artis Morticulo
Artis Morticulo is a sovereign empire located on Azeroth's eastern continents. The Empire, as it is also known, is made up of the Kingdom of Azeroth along with the Kingdom of Khaz Modan. The Empire consists of many powerful and influential races whom were brought together in unification under the pretence of creating a noble and just nation, not only to better themselves, but to better the entirety of Azeroth. The Empire's many peoples strive to represent these ideals by contributing their own technical knowledge, mastery of the arcane and spiritual wisdom to the goal of a just and peaceful world. History Founding Historical records that state that the one known as Thorglir was the founding father of Artis Morticulo, both in the idea and in the unification of the Kingdoms under one banner. Some time during the Age of Contention, the being known as Thorglir revealed himself to the Kingdoms of Azeroth and Khaz Modan. For years, Thorglir had watched over the Kingdom of Azeroth and eventually, after seeing the constant war and violence across the land, convinced the Humans and Dwarves, along with their Gnomish allies, to found a unified Empire with the goal of one day bringing justice to the lands and even peace to Azeroth itself. Thorglir created the Empire of Artis Morticulo and was declared it's Emperor. With his powers and wisdom, the peoples of the Empire advanced leaps and bounds, both technologically and spiritually. Stormwind, the Capital city of the Kingdom of Azeroth was chosen to be the Capital of the Empire and the city was soon unrecognisable from it's original design, decorated with the new technologies and grandeur that came under Thorglir's rule. With it's ever-increasing economy and vast wealth, the Empire reached out to Lordaeron in the north with the offer of joining it's ranks. The pride of Lordaeron, however, instead turned their backs on the Empire, believing themselves to be a more noble and ancient kingdom. Thorglir and the Empire did not pursue and instead kept the peace. The First War Reports of mysterious creatures lurking around the Black Morass were the first sign that the peace the Empire adhered to, was coming to an end. In Stormwind, rumours spread through the streets that they were either trolls armed with some new power, or a strange race from across the Great Sea. Emperor Thorglir dispatched the Tactical Reconnaissance And Methylated Professional Scroungers (T.R.A.M.P.S) unit, led by none other than Sir Albuin Loafer and his dwarfservant Angus Ramp Sr. to uncover what these new creatures were. Loafer led a small force of bums to scab the Black Morass, resulting in enough change for ten cups of tea, three Tram rides home and a weeks medicine for a Ram suffering from trench hoof. The T.R.A.M.P.S also made contact with the mysterious creatures they had been tasked with uncovering; The Orcs. At first time, in a series of bloody bum fights, Loafer and his men scored a number of small victories against the orcs, yet for every orc killed two more seemed to take its place, even less willing to spare some change for a bit of baccy. The hobos were more outnumbered in each subsequent battle, and Loafer was eventually forced to pull back without venturing deep enough into the heavily guarded Black Morass to find the Dark Portal. Loafer informed Emperor Thorglir that the invaders were bringing in reinforcements from somewhere, and the kingdom readied itself for a full-scale war that became known as the First War. The orcish leader Warchief Blackham ordered raiding parties to cut deep into the Empire's lands to drive panic into the populace. Entire villages in Duskwood, Westfall, and the southern Redridge Mountains fell, their inhabitants either killed or forced to flee. By the time the Empire's patrols rode to defend the villages, the orcs had already gone. They were an enemy unlike any the Empire had ever faced. Emperor Thorglir bestowed upon Drakorae the title of "Warmaster", the highest military rank in the Empire, and entrusted him to end the orcish threat. Deciding to use the orcs' mobility against them, Drakorae studied the pattern of targets the Ironing Board would strike and set up ambushes along their paths of retreat. A loyal paladin named Eranicus Valorfist was given command of large numbers of troops by Drakorae. In some cases, small units of knights were able to bring down entire orc raiding parties without any casualties. The orcs soon realized the Empire was unlike any enemy they had ever faced as well. Three years after the Dark Portal had been opened, the orcish raids on the countryside had razed farms, towns, villages, forges, and trade houses, causing ruin to the Empire's economy. Even more dire, many sources of food supply had been destroyed or fallen into the orc's control, threatening Stormwind City with running out of supplies in a few months. With this knowledge in mind, Blackham decided to bring the Ironing Board north to conquer Redridge Mountains and from there launch an attack on Stormwind City. The orcs marched on the foothills of Redridge with little resistance and believed the Empire would not attack before they reached Stormwind City, which was exactly what Drakorae wanted them to think. An orc raiding party led by Blackham went into the mountains hoping to claim Lakeshire. However, Drakorae and his knights suddenly charged down the slopes without warning and surrounded the orcs in a spectacular ambush. The orc raiders fought hard but almost all of them were slain. Loafer himself had almost killed Blackham, but the two warlocks accompanying Blackham had turned the tide of battle with their fel fire and forced Drakorae to withdraw. With Blackham seriously wounded and forced to retreat with what little remained of his raiding party, the orcish threat was seemingly quelled if only momentarily. For now, the Empire would have a chance to recuperate and plan a counter-offensive, knowing this would not be the end of the orcs. Formation of the First Council Emperor Thorglir realised that it was impossible to lead alone. He would be unable to rule the Empire from Stormwind and gather and co-ordinate an army which would be able to launch an attack against the orcs. He gathered a council of advisers made up of his court's wisest individuals to assist him in ruling and to keep order within the hierarchy of the Empire. The First Council as they would forever be known, would consist of Feignbar the Seer, Archbishop Darcquocs, Elder Yayverd, Warmaster Drakorae and Grand Magus of the High Court; Moefaeyp. Thorglir would continue to remain in Stormwind as Emperor, but the duties he had previously performed would be passed out between the Council. Yayverd and Feignbar would liaise directly with the High Court, Moefaeyp would deal with the affairs between the Empire and the Kirin Tor, Darcquocs would oversee the Cathedral and it's Sects and Drakorae would take charge of recruiting and training an army to defend the Empire, not only from the current threat of the orcs, but also anything else that might challenge the Empire in the future.' '''Thorglir would retire to the Imperial Palace to work on plans to further the great Empire of Artis Morticulo in the future. 'The Second War' Less than a year after the defence of Lakeshire, as predicted, the orcish menace once again reared it's head to threaten the Empire. Raids on farms and villages had continued all the while, but no major advancement in territory had been made or attempted by the orcs, however, it seemed that Warchief Blackham had finally recovered and schemed for long enough. An army of orcs, larger than any raiding party ever previously seen, marched from the Black Morass, leaving death and destruction in their wake. After Duskwood, Westfall, and the Redridge Mountains had eventually fallen, the orcs marched into the '''Burning Steppes'. From here they would march west, traversing the mountain range and sweeping over Stormwind City from it's undefended rear. Scouting reports had reached the Empire, and Emperor Thorglir immediately put Stormwind City on high alert, the city could be besieged at any given moment, and worse still, Warmaster Drakorae and the Empire's army had already left the Capital, marching east towards the Redridge Mountains believing they would encounter the orcs head on, marching towards Stormwind City. It was too late to call back the army, a messenger would not reach them in time and only reserves and trainee recruits were left to provide a makeshift defence for the city itself, reinforcements from Khaz Modan were marching south, but they too would never arrive in time to stop the orcs. There was only one option, Albuin Loafer and the Knights of the Broken Bottle would head into the mountain side and reach the Burning Steppes, there they would hold off the orcs until the Empire's army could move in from Redridge and the Khaz Modan reinforcements from the Searing Gorge. They merely had to stall the orcs, not win the fight and so Loafer led his small group of knights at haste. In their smaller numbers they were able to travel through the mountain side at pace and were soon overlooking the Burning Steppes, thousands of orc soldiers covered the horizon through Steppes but leading them in the march was not Blackham. Another orc stood proud, clearly the mantle of Warchief had been passed on, willingly or otherwise, it mattered not. Loafer led the charge directly against this new Warchief and his close allies and the Warchief's identity was revealed as the orcish horde cried out "For Doomhammer!". It would all be decided under the shadow of Blackrock Mountain. Loafer engaged Doomhammer in single combat without flinching, and a duel between the two commanders ensued even amid the carnage going on around them. Much of their forces looked on with bated breath as the sound of sword against hammer rang out across the region. The Warchief eventually began to gain ground against his adversary; forcing him gradually back with unrelenting ferocity. Ultimately, the Doomhammer shattered Loafer's sword in one great sweep, driving Loafer to his knees. With a final swing of his weapon, the Warchief crushed Loafer's skull, killing him instantly. From the south, Drakorae and the Empire's army arrived. They looked on in horror as they witnessed Loafer's death first hand, unable to do anything to save him. The outcome of the duel between the two warriors had an immediate impact on their respective armies. Heartened to see their leader triumphant, the orcish forces pressed ahead with renewed vigour. The Empire's soldiers were meanwhile filled with sorrow, fear and doubt and Drakorae called on all his allies to fight on, even in such a dark hour. He invoked the memory of Albuin Loafer, pointing to how their commander had never given into despair, thanks to methylated spirits. As Loafer's sons and daughters (Theoretically speaking, of course, it was known that many years of neat alcohol and sleeping rough had left Loafer firing blanks), it was their duty to carry on his legacy and fulfil his quest to rid Artis Morticulo of the ruinous orcs (Some presumed Loafer's quest was to rid Artis Morticulo of all alcohol). Every member of the Empire who heard Drakorae that day was filled with an entirely new sense of hope and justice that rivalled the despair experienced mere moments before. Wasting no time, their new commander reformed their ranks and, with a final battle cry, the Empire once again crashed into the orcish army. The orcish forces buckled under the impact and were subsequently shattered beyond any hope of recovery. The orcs scattered in all directions, with many fleeing south back toward the distant Dark Portal. Some small groups continued to fight on near the mountain; instead of putting them to the sword, Drakorae ensured that these few were overwhelmed and captured alive. The fallen Warchief, and all the prisoners seized during the battle, were bound in chains, signifying a definitive end to the conflict. The defeat at Blackrock Mountain irreparably shattered Doomhammer's orcs. A large group of those who fled the battle made their way south, led by the death knight Teron Gorefiend. Their intention to reach the Dark Portal was ruthlessly harassed by Drakorae and his armies. They tracked Gorefiend's force as it reached the Black Morass; the Empire was eager to discover the exact location of the mystical portal from which the orcs had first invaded their world, which had eluded the human leadership thus far. Drakorae and his forces descended upon their enemies just outside the Dark Portal itself. The ensuing battle proved to be one of the most brutal and desperate fought in the war, with the orcs and their death knights battling furiously for simple survival. In the end, they were able to hold off their Empire foes long enough for the majority of their own forces to escape through the gateway. Unwilling to take the risk of pursuing, Drakorae ordered his soldiers not to follow the orcs through. Instead, he sent for Emperor Thorglir. Without hesitation Thorglir travelled to meet the Warmaster and learn the fate of the surviving orcs who had escaped through the portal. For the first time, the Empire would see the true power of their Emperor. They gathered far from the Dark Portal and watched as Thorglir ascended into the sky, hovering above the portal he channelled an immense spell to rip the structure apart. The incantation succeeded in pulling apart the very threads keeping the rift open, forcing the path to another world to slam shut. The backlash of residual energy blasted apart the stone frame of the Dark Portal in a blinding arcane explosion. The portal crumbled to dust, the gathered Imperial forces jubilantly cheered the development. The destruction of the gateway marked the end of the Second War and, for the vast majority of those gathered, the end of a dark and personal chapter in their lives. The Empire was victorious, yet the cost had been high. The Third War Rise of the Order Organisation Leadership